Get Out
by Omega31011
Summary: Al returns home from Xing, but something isn't right with him. When Ed confronts him about it, well i guess you can say, Al's inner demon comes out to play.
1. Chapter 1

_**My other stories are going to be on hiatus, except for FMU. Also What the f*** is going to be under reconstruction, I went back to read it and I cringed so hard. I have seen that my writing skills have gotten better, so yeah that is going under reconstruction. This is a story I've had on my mind for a while, so I hope you guys like it. It was originally supposed to be like a dark!Ed fanfic, but I saw that there were not enough dark!Al around, so it's time to darken Al's soul a tiny bit...Hue hue :D. Well without any more delay enjoy!**_

 _ **Disclaimer: I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist.**_

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 **OooooOooooO**

Ed sneezed into his balled fist as he walked toward the Resembool train station. He was in an irritated mood because of the abnormally cold weather, which caused his stump to ache terribly. At least it was just his leg, now that his right arm was finally restored the cold didn't effect it much. The still had pain, but it was tolerable. The moon illuminated the path to the train station which aided Ed since it was nearly one in the morning, but he could not complain much. Alphonse was finally coming home from his long trip to Xing and he was excited to see his little brother after so long. They had never been separated for a large amount of time, and of course they would write and call to each other, but there was nothing like having him home.

He made it to the train station and took a seat on a nearby bench, it was eerily quiet since no one was there at one in the morning. No one, except for the station clerk, who was dead to the world and snoring loudly with a trail of drool on the side of his desk.

God it was so cold out, if Ed had to guess, he would say that it may snow later, but fat chance of that. The last time it snowed in Resembool, he and his brother were still children and his mother was still alive. He cherished that memory because it was the only one he could remember where he truly felt like a kid. He remembered that his mother made hot chocolate for them and then soon after they helped her make some cookies. Ed found himself smiling at the memory and exhaled, oh how he wished for more times like that.

The sound of a horn interrupted his thoughts and made him stand up, he wanted to get his brother and hightail it back home to get out of the cold before he froze to death. The train made its stop with that horrible screeching sound as the breaks forced the contraption to halt. The station clerk jumped up because of the noise and nearly fell out of his seat. Ed suppressed his childish snicker and turned to face the train. The door opened to reveal the silhouette of a figure. The figure stepped off the train with a bag of luggage clutched in one hand.

"Welcome home, you idiot," Ed said as he grabbed the bag of luggage from his little brother's hand.

"Good to be back," Alphonse replied, he pulled his jacket closer to his body. The weather nearly sucked out all the warmth from his body. "Wow, it's freezing out here." his voice shook with the freezing temperature, he rubbed his hands together in an attempt to warm them.

"I know, let's head back to the house before we turn it to popsicles," Ed joked as they began their walk back to the yellow house. Al pretty much looked the same, but Ed could spot some subtle differences. Al had a little tan and his hair was a bit longer, he was also a bit thinner than Ed remembered, which worried him. He would discuss it later. "So how have you been?"

"I've been good, Xing was amazing, and hot," He looked down to his hand. "I think I got a shade or two darker while I was there."

"Yeah, I noticed, but don't worry it isn't that noticeable." Ed stifled a groan as another sharp pain shot though his leg. Al continued to walk, so maybe he didn't notice. The house was coming into view and much to Ed's relief he could see smoke rising out of the chimney. "Winry's awake."

"I hope my arrival didn't force her to wake up." Al mumbled softly, Ed rolled his eyes. How were they related? Ed had an abrasive attitude, while Al was so polite, he would even apologize to the stray kitten he couldn't take home! Well then again, Al had that side of him that he suppressed. The side that even scared Ed, it was the side of Al that simply didn't care. It was rare to see that side of him; that side of him was suppress by his usual caring personality. Ed had a hunch that a lot of rumors that were going around during his state alchemist years, were started by Al. _'That sneaky little bastard'_ Ed thought to himself. _'Ah just too paranoid.'_ "Brother?"

"Huh? Oh sorry, blanked out," Ed apologized while they walked up the steps of the Rockbell house. "You got to be quiet, the old hag is sleeping." Ed opened the door to the house and sighed as the warmth of the fire embraced his frame.

Al shook his head at his brother's insult. "Ed, be nice," Al shrugged off his coat once inside and was greeted to a steaming cup. "Thank you, Winry." He graciously accepted the mug and opened his arms for an embrace.

"Great to see you, Al." Winry let out a small yawn and shuffled into the embrace. She had woken up when Ed left to the train station and could not get back to sleep, so she decided to make some hot chocolate. She pulled away from the embrace and shuffled to the couch to relax. Al followed and sat at the other end of the couch, allowing himself to smile as he watched Winry lay her head on Ed's shoulder.

"So you actually did it? I thought you just _chickened_ out." Al took a sip from his drink and chuckled at Ed's glare.

"I told you I would do it," Ed pointed at Al with his mug. "You calling me a liar?"

"I'm just saying you stretch the truth." Al place his mug onto the coffee table in front of him and stood. "This hot chocolate needs some marshmallows, if you'll excuse me." Al said as he took a step forward. Suddenly, Al felt very nauseated and tripped falling forward.

" _Al!"_ Ed sprung up, startling Winry, and outstretched his arms. The mug in his hand was flung and shattered on the ground off to the left. He was able to catch Al before his head could hit the floor and cause any bodily harm. Ed could see that Al was in shock, his eyes were wide and dilated. "Al," he shook his brother for an answer, but didn't get one. _"Alphonse!"_

Winry rushed to his side, mindful of the broken glass on the floor. "Al," when she, herself didn't get an answer back, she went to work checking if he was harmed. She checked his pulse and inspected anything she could see on him. "I can't find anything that wrong with him. Take him to the surgery room." Ed nodded and repositioned Al so that he could lift him up, but as soon as he did that Alphonse took a deep breath, as he had awoken from a nightmare.

When he saw that he was being lift up, he became panicked. "Brother? What are you doing?" his voice trembled in unexplainable fear. Ed slowly placed his brother down on the couch and backed away to give him some breathing room.

"Al, what happened?"

"I was just about to ask the same thing," An old woman's voice filled the room. The trio looked up to see Pinako making her way down the steps of the second floor. "One second I with the man of my dreams, literally, and the next I hear things breaking," She grumbled as she grabbed her pipe from the drawer next to the stairs. "Alphonse it is great to see you again, but… _What is with all the noise!"_ all three blonds flinched at her scolding tone.

"Chill out, you old bat," Ed booed. "Al, fell." Her anger dissipated, but some still lingered.

"Of course he did, he's probably exhausted," She looked over to Al, who was rubbing his eyes with his thumb and forefinger. "Head to bed, you can discuss your travels in the morning," Al slowly nodded and made his way to his room. "That goes for both of you as well. I'll clean up the mess."

"Night, Granny." Ed muttered as he and Winry retired for the rest of the night, or morning. Pinako cleaned up the glasses from the floor and placed the cups into the sink, but something stopped her. She looked over to Al's cup and saw that it was completely full. It was strange because Al had a sweet tooth and he would have drank the hot chocolate, tired or not. Maybe he's not feeling well, she continued to clean with a bad feeling settling in her gut.

 **OooooOooooO**

The headache was back and with a vengeance, he could feel his head throbbing as he laid in his bed. Unable to take the pain, he got up from his bed and went over to the restroom. Behind the mirror he found the sleeping aids. He sighed dejectedly as he opened the bottle and pulled out two little pills. He hoped he wouldn't need to use them again and he didn't feel the need to use them since he was better. Although things change. 'Yeah they change.' He thought as he popped both into his mouth and swallowed them dry. He made his way back to his bed with the bottle of sleeping aids still in his hand. He sat on the edge of his bed and looked at the bottle, _"Alphonse Elric, sleeping aids for insomnia. Take two before bed."_ He repeated what the doctor had told him before he had left the hospital after he had regained his body. He settled into bed and stared at the ceiling as the effects of the medication started to take a toll on him. The last lucid thing he thought was, "Who are _you?"_

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 _ **There's chapter 1 of this new story, sorry if it was kinda boring or confusing. The next chapter will include some details on what happened in Xing and what is wrong with Al. If you spot any mistakes please do not hesitate to tell me, it would be much appreciated. Until next time!**_

 _ **-Omega**_


	2. Chapter 2

_**Guest: Thanks for the comment on the last chapter, it really gets me in the mood to continue the story even sooner. I also agree that there needs to be more Al focused stories, yes Ed is important, but Al is just as important. The little armored boy needs the spotlight too sometimes! Anyway, thanks for the review and I hope you enjoy the rest of the story.**_

 _ **Wow guys a second chapter already. Well I shouldn't keep you waiting any longer, without further delay, enjoy.**_

 _ **Disclaimer: I don't own FMA.**_

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 **OooooOooooO**

Ed spent about a good half hour contemplating on whether he should wake up or not, he was even considering playing dead for the day. With an exhausted sigh he forced himself into a sitting position, he turned to the window and was surprised when he could see layers of fluffy snow on it. He got out from the bed, careful not to wake Winry, who was in a blissful slumber. He walked across the wooden floor and wiped away the condensation on the window to have a better look of the environment.

Thick snow layered the area surrounding the house, and what from Ed could see, it was all over Resembool and as far as he could see. He didn't mind the snow, in fact he loved it, but it was the cold he had a problem with. If he wasn't careful, frostbite would begin where the metal of his prosthetic met the flesh of his stump. To make matters worse, the cold causes his arm and leg to ache constantly.

Forcibly crushing the negative thoughts, Ed dressed into a black long-sleeved shirt and some warm pajama pants. Just because he was getting up, did not mean he was going out in that weather. _'Fuck that.'_ Ed thought as he put some socks on to keep his feet warm against the cold floor. _'If they need anything from the store, they can co themselves,'_ He finished pulling his hair into a pony-tail and slowly exited the room, he could hear some light talking in the kitchen. _'Al and Granny must be up.'_ He assumed as he made his way to the bathroom to brush his teeth. While on his way, he briefly passed Pinako's room, he stopped when he heard light snoring coming from it. What. Confused he retraced his step and slowly opened the door a bit. Inside he could see her small form, lying in bed. Still asleep.

If she was there, who was in the kitchen? Quietly, he closed the door and made his way down the steps. The conversation from before did not cease, not until one of the steps made a loud creaking sound. _'Note to self, fix the step.'_ Once that sounded off, the talking stopped abruptly.

The sound of a chair moving followed and footsteps followed soon after. _"Brother?"_ he heard Al call out from the kitchen. Ed walked down the rest of the steps and walked into the kitchen, there Al was standing looking at him confused, but once he saw it was only Ed, he relaxed and sat back down on the chair. "Sorry, did I wake you?" he asked as he held his warm mug.

"No, I was getting up already. Who were you talking too?" Ed asked as he took a seat across from his little brother. A look of confusion came across Al's face.

"What do you mean? I wasn't talking."

Ed was taken back by the answer, but felt as if Al was playing a joke on him. "Yes, you were, I heard you," Al shook his head, Ed look at him for a brief second then laughed. "Nice joke." He thought that Al was being funny and messing with him.

"What joke?" Al quirked his eyebrow, truly confused with what Ed was saying. "I was the only one in the kitchen and I wasn't talking."

"So you just happened to be sitting here," Ed gestured to the kitchen. "Doing nothing."

Al lifted up his mug. "Drinking tea."

"Drinking tea," Ed repeated slowly. "And I was just hearing things?" Al shrugged as he took a sip of his tea. That's when Ed noticed his eyes. They were dull and sunken in, he had seen it before. He had seen it when Al was still in the hospital and would suffer from lack of sleep. "You haven't been sleeping well."

Al froze and slowly placed his mug down. He swallowed the hot tea and let it burn his throat while it went down. "How did you know?" he sighed as rubbed his face of lingering fatigue.

"Come on, Al, you can't hide anything from me," Al averted his eyes from Ed's gaze, he could feel the headache from before returning. "What's going on, you can tell me." Ed spoke softly, he wanted to know what was on Al's mind, something was bothering him, but he kept his mouth shut.

Al grimaced, as if he found the question disturbing. "Nothing," he said vaguely, still not looking at Ed. He turned to his tea and found it suddenly unappealing. Ignoring the pounding in his head, Al stood and started to make his way out of the kitchen.

" _Alphonse,"_ the use of his first full name made him slow. _"Elric,"_ the tone used made him make a full stop, a few inches from the door. "Get back here and _sit down."_

Al squeezed his eyes together as the headache intensified. It felt as if someone was plowing nails into his head. "I need to do-"

"No, sit down." anger began to flow in Al's veins as he misinterpreted Ed's concern, he felt that Ed was treating him like a child.

Al turned himself to face Ed and balled his hands at his sides. "It's nothing, how many times do I need to tell you." He hated when he was treated like a little kid, it reminded him of when he would get into trouble in his youth. He remembered how his mom would scold him and make him feel bad for what he did. That is one of the reasons of why he is so nice, he feared getting into trouble with people.

"You can tell me all you want, but at least tell me _the truth!"_ Ed slammed his hand onto the table, frustrated with Al dodging his question. "I'm trying to help, _but you won't let me!"_ his voice held betrayal and offense, all he wanted to do was help his little brother. He hated to see the people he cared about in pain.

" _I don't need your help!"_ Al yelled back, the headache nearly caused him to collapse again, but the anger kept him standing. He couldn't even figure out why he was angry anymore, but he didn't care. His mind was cloudy and he could only feel rage, which made his fist shake.

Ed, again was taken back by the outburst, but it proved that something was indeed wrong with his sibling. It stunned him for a second but he snapped out of it and stood to his full height. He was the older brother, he would not be disrespected when he is trying to help. "Like _hell_ you don't," he his voice lost its aggressiveness. "Al, don't hide what you're feeling, I'm here for you."

"Well, I don't need you here for me anymore." The voice that said that was anything but Al's. It held no emotion and was as cold as the snow outside. "Do me a favor and _fuck_ _off."_ Al shoved passed Ed and left him standing there speechless.

 **OooooOooooO**

Winry was awoken from the yelling of both Elrics and was walking down the steps when Al was making his way up. "Mornin' Al." she greeted, but he said nothing as he made his way passed her and into his room, slamming the door. Shocked at the rudeness, she entered the kitchen to find Ed sitting at the table with his head in his hands. "What's wrong with him?"

"How am I supposed to know?" He murmured. "He just told me to do him a favor ' _and fuck off.'_ "

Winry stopped and stared dumbfounded at Ed. "That doesn't sound like him." She took a seat in the chair Al was sitting in and furred her eyebrows. "Did you say anything to get him mad?" It wouldn't be the first time it happened, but it was unusual for Al to retaliate against his brother's unfiltered mouth.

"Of course not, I just said I wanted to help," Ed exhaled and raised his head from his hands to look at her, she could see the worry in his eyes. "He's the one who got heated."

"Do you think it has to do with what happened last night?"

Ed shrugged and scowled at the memory. "I don't know, maybe." He hoped to figure out what was going on with Al and soon. "Maybe I'll call Ling or Mei to see if they know anything." If anyone who know what happened in Xing, it would be them since they were the ones with Al during his stay in the foreign country.

"Do you think it may be drugs?"

"No, I've seen the effects of drugs," he briefly explained his experiences with various junkies he had arrested over the years. None really matched with Al's current appearance or attitude, so he quickly shot down the possibility. Al would never do something as stupid as that, he was too pure. "I have a hunch that it's something else," he groaned at the only option he had left. "Time to make a few calls to Xing."

 **OooooOoooO**

He couldn't explain why he grew angry in the first place, he had no reason to be, he was just overreacting. All his brother wanted to do was help him, so why was he getting frustrated over that? He wasn't being treated like a child; that was just malevolent thoughts affecting his actions. The unexplainable angry began to dissipate and guilt settled in his heart. He had just attacked Ed and went so far as to curse at him, he detested using those vile words, so why did they come out like nothing?

Al sat on the edge of his bed, the headache that pounded in his head finally causing him to grow exhausted. It was better to sit down before he fell down and he didn't need others to worry any further. He turned his attention to his hands and noticed that they no longer had the tan that was there just hours ago. They were pale and uncomfortably cold, his right hand didn't even have the scratch he had gotten when he's accidently fell earlier that morning. But how would it heal so quickly?

" _Amazing isn't it?"_ a voice said behind him.

Al jumped to his feet, but nearly lost his footing, the only thing that kept him up was the dresser next to him. He looked around the room for an intruder, but he could find nothing. No one else was in the room with him, but he heard the voice clear as day. "Who's there?" he called out, hoping that the voice was just part of his imagination. When no reply came and he allowed himself to drop his guard. He assumed that he was just tired and hearing things, due to the lack of sleep the last few days. He chuckled and shuffled to his bed _. 'Maybe I'm just starting to lose my mind.'_ He thought grimly.

" _Maybe you are."_ The voice came again. Al flinched and turned quickly to where the voice came and froze. Two hands where outstretched toward him and they gripped the sides of his head harshly. The hands where filthy and covered in dirt, he forces himself to look at the assailant in front of him. He was just as filthy as his hands, his black hair was matted and caked in mud, along with his thick beard. His obsidian eyes held no compassion and were dull, they looked like the eyes of a murderer.

Al was completely paralyzed as the unknown man held his head, he couldn't even talk or move, all he could do was stare at the man with his golden eyes wide. The headache that had afflicted him was dulled compared to the tightness of the man's grip.

" _You'll do nicely,"_ The man's voice came, it was deep and gruff like Scar's, but it was more sinister, he could tell this man was pure evil. The man grinned and began to apply more force to the already tight hold. It felt as if his head was going to cave in against the pressure, but again he could not cry out. All that he was able to manage was scrunching his eyes to try and ease the growing agony. _"You'll be the perfect vessel."_ The pain became unbearable and it felt as if his head was on fire. Finally, with all his strength, Al pried his mouth opened as wide as he could and screamed.

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 _ **Poor Al ;D. Hope things start to look up for him. Yeah, I don't know about that, but that's for another chapter. Hope you enjoyed chapter 2 of this little growing story. I you have any questions regarding the story, please don't hesitate to ask, I'll reply and look over them in each chapter.**_

 _ **So that's pretty much it for this chapter and again, if you see any mistakes, please tell me, it would be much appreciated! Well until next time!**_

 _ **Omega**_


	3. Chapter 3

_**Lilydipper: I know! I am going to hell for what I'm going to put him through in this story, but to make things even, Ed is going to suffer just as much. If you believe that this is as worst as it's going to get, then prepare yourself. Thank you for the review and I hope you enjoy the rest of the story!**_

 _ **Hello and Welcome! Here's chapter 3, your support fuels me! Sorry for the long wait and I hope you enjoyed your Thanksgiving! But with that out of the way, enjoy.**_

 _ **Disclaimer: I do not own FMA.**_

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 **OooooOooooO**

Ed was out of his chair and at the top of the stairs as soon as he heard the bloodcurdling scream interrupt the discussion he and Winry were having. He knew that scream, even though they had just fought, he would be damned before he would let his brother get hurt. Pinkako's door opened quickly and the old woman was running right behind Ed, behind her Winry was following. They reached Al's room within seconds, Ed tried to get in, but the door was locked. Panic flooded his being as he heard whimpering coming from the room. _"Al!"_ he banged on the door until he hands began to bruise, with no other option he stepped back and kicked in the door with his metal leg. Pain spiked through his lower body, but he pushed himself into the room.

At first glance the room seemed empty, but the sound of crying could be heard coming from the closet on the left, next to the bathroom. Ed slowly approached the closet and held up his right hand to stop the two ladies from following him. "Al?" he said softly. No reply came, but he could hear the crying suddenly stop, then continue again only muffled as if he was trying to hide. Ed grabbed the doorknob and slowly turned it. Why was Al in a closet crying? What made him scream? These questions played in Ed's mind as he opened the closet door at an agonizing pace. With the door opened, Ed could see Al cowering in the corner of the closet, trying to hide himself in the darkness. Ed cautiously reached out to Al's shaking form with his right hand and placed on his trembling shoulder.

Not a second later, Al lunged toward Ed and tackled him to the floor, slamming Ed's skull against the floor in the process. Ed only had seconds to see Al's face, but he could clearly see that his eyes held so much terror. Al raised his fist, ready to beat Ed's face in, but Winry pulled him off at the last second. Al crumbled to the floor and quickly crawled away to the corner of his room. There he brought his knees to his chest and cried silently.

Ed sat up while cradling the back of his head, he turned to Al. "The hell…-" Ed shakenly got to his feet with the help of Winry. He took a careful step forward, but Pinako held him back.

"Why is he crying?" she asked, concern lacing her voice.

"I don't know." All he wanted to know was why Al screamed, there had to be a reason behind it. He stepped toward Al and kneeled next to him, careful not to touch him which might cause him to panic again. "Al?" he called out softly. Al stopped shaking and ceased his crying. He raised his head and looked around as if he had just woken up from a nightmare. "Al, are you-"

Al quickly backed away from the person next to him and slammed his back against the wall. He relaxed when he realized it was just his brother. "What?" his voice was raspy from the crying. He looked at the others in absolute panic. "What's going on?" he couldn't remember what was happening or why he was on the floor, the only thing he knew was that something was scaring him. That headache was back and added to his already panicked mind.

"You don't remember?" Al shook his head and rubbed his eyes vigorously to stop the headache. God, why was it hurting so badly? Ed reached over and laid his palm on Al's forehead, but quickly pulled back, it felt like his hand had just touched a furnace. "You're sick." Ed helped Al off the floor.

"Really?" Al held his head to stop the coming nausea.

"Yeah, your head feels like an oven." He said as he helped Al to his bed. "You need to get some rest." Winry excused herself to gather the first-aid kit, Pinako followed her out of the room. As soon as he laid himself on the bed, Al could feel the weariness that was being inflicted on his body. Winry returned with a cool rag and some medicine, she wasted no time placing the rag onto Al's head.

"That should help." It did help, more than she knew. It lessened the pressure of the headache, which was a bliss. Al mumbled a thank you and closed his eyes, he embraced the darkness and dozed off.

It wasn't till after Al's breathing leveled, did Ed inspect Al for any marks. He was sure he would find bruises from when he slammed his back on the wall, but he found nothing. Other dark spots caught his attention, though. They were on the sides of his head, right next to his sideburns. There were four distinct marks, but with closer inspection they looked like fingerprints. He found it strange and kept a mental note to ask about it later. Other than those marks, he couldn't find anything that would indicate that Al was physically hurt. So with reluctance he left his baby brother to rest and left the room to call Ling, but when leaving, he left Al's door open just to be safe.

Walking down the stairs, Ed looked over to the clock on the wall and noted that it was only ten in the morning. Which would mean that it was later in the day in Xing. Never mind that, just was he going to ask? Hey, what the hell did you do to my brother? Ed didn't even realize he had dialed the number until someone said, _"Hello?"_

Ed jumped. "Oh, sorry. I-"

Before he could say anyone, the person on the receiving end cut him off. _"Who's this and what is your reason for calling?"_ Then it dawned on him. Ling was the emperor of Xing, of course someone else was going to answer.

"Sorry, my name is Edward Elric and I'm calling on behalf of my brother, Alphonse Elric." It was silent for a few seconds. Ed thought that they had hung up until the voice of a certain food crazed prin-Emperor came on.

" _Ed!_ It's been too long, how've you been, how's the family, how's the simple life treating you, how's that smoking girl of yo-"

 _"Shut up!"_ Ling silenced his babbling and squeaked out an apology.

" _Sorry, got excited."_

Ed shook his head at Ling's stupidity. "Anyway, I'm calling because something's up with Al and I thought you knew anything about it." Again it was silent.

" _You mean, he didn't tell you about the church fire?"_

 **OooooOooooO**

It was cold and dark. Everything smelled like iron and it felt as if his feet were submerged in water, no, it was too thick for it to be that. He tried to look down, but he couldn't see anything it was too dark. It was like an endless abyss. He felt as if he was grounded, but it felt like he was floating at the same time. Just where the hell was he?

" _I could help answer that."_

Al looked around, but he could not see anyone due to the darkness. That voice, it was the same one from his room. "Who's there?" his voice wavered.

" _No need to be frightened, child,"_ the voice came. It was different somehow. It spoke softly and it was almost soothing. However, Al knew better than to trust something so blindly.

"Where am I?" he tried to move his feet but the liquid was too dense to move around easily. He heard the sound of slushing as if someone was walking around. "What is this place?" he asked after his previous question was ignored.

" _This is a place of safety, where no danger can come to you."_ The voice was moving around, and it sounded like it was coming from all around him.

"What do you mean? What danger?" Al was confused. He was in danger? He didn't remember being in danger, in fact wasn't he in his room, safe?

" _No, you were not safe,"_ said the voice. Wait, but he didn't say anything out loud. So how did he- _"How did I hear what you thought?"_ Yes, how? _"Like I have stated before you are in a place of comfort, think of me as your guardian angel. I am here to protect you."_

Al frowned. "Protect me from what?"

" _From your brother, of course."_

Al froze. He needed protection from Ed? No, this wasn't right. Ed was his older brother, they may argue and fight sometimes, but Ed would never put him in danger. Not intentionally. "What do you mean?" His voice grew angry at the voice for insinuating that Ed would hurt him. "Ed would never hurt me."

" _Are you sure about that?"_ the voice was closer than before. _"He did leave you in a metal prison for years."_ Al could feel the presence of someone standing in front of him. The presence was cold and mysterious, there was no warm to it, but he could feel genuine concern coming from it.

"That was an accident, we had no way of knowing what would happen." Al quickly defended his brother. The transmutation was both their faults, they both chose to do it even when they knew about the consequences.

" _Did you not tell him that it was dangerous?"_

Of course he did, but it was a risk they had to take. "Yes, but-"

" _And did he listen?"_

"No," he muttered. That doesn't change anything, he could have stopped it, but he himself wanted to see his mom again, so he went along with it. "But I still went along with it too."

" _He manipulated you."_ He felt two hands lay on his shoulders. _"Think about it. His selfishness manipulated your mind and he made you his puppet."_

Al pushed the entity away from him with force. _"I'm not a puppet!"_ he hated being called that, ever since the Barry the Chopper incident.

" _But you are, if you continue to follow your brother."_ The voice showed no signs of anger, just more sympathy. _"If you will allow me, I can set you free or will you rather continue being a puppet?"_

"I'm no-….I'm not a p-puppet." He wasn't a puppet. He was never a puppet. But then why did he lose his body? Why could Ed lose his instead? He crushed that malevolent thought the second it crept into his mind.

" _Why did you suffer so much?"_ Al couldn't answer, maybe he was just unlucky. _"No, you were not unlucky, it was because of your brother."_ Al shook his head and tried to back away, but he tripped and fell back into the thick liquid. _"He caused all of your grief,"_ Al could feel the loneliness of not being able to sleep for years. _"He caused your suffering,"_ Al tried to cover his ears as he could hear himself screaming as those damned black hands grabbed onto him. _"He caused your pain,"_ He curled into himself as he could remember himself being ripped away from his body. Hot tears flowed down his face as he could remember Barry's words _'just accept it, you'll feel better!'_ The presence was in front of him again and it cause him to look up. This time he could see the same person that was in his room, only this time, the man was clean and his face held a reassuring smile. _"Let me set you free."_ He held out his hand towards Al. Ignoring the feeling of caution, Al reached out and grasped the man's hand. _"You made a wise choice, Alphonse."_

"How do you know my name?"

The man smiled. _"Guardian angel, remember?"_ The man helped Al to his feet and out of the thick liquid that had begun to get on Al's left hand. Al smiled and was oblivious to the red tinted liquid that had started to drip down his hand. _"My name is Cain."_

* * *

 _ **Uh oh….hehe :P Well then, do you guys think that Al should trust Cain? Would you trust him? Oh no poor Al is feeling doubts about Ed and if he should even trust him. Let's see how they will get through this ordeal, but until next time!**_


End file.
